BOLTON Institute bosses have given a guarded welcome to a boost in funding. The Higher Education Council for England yesterday approved a 3.6 per cent cash increase for the Institute and agreed a total allocation for the next financial year of £18.7 million. The head of the Institute Professor Bob Oxtoby said: "There's no doubt it could have been a lot worse and it's very welcome bearing in mind our current position. I am not unhappy but I am not over the moon either.

"The allocation makes certain assumptions of how much money we will be able to collect from students in tuition fees and this sum may not be as large as the Council assumes.

"My anxiety is quite simply over our ability to recruit students, bearing in mind the Government's introduction of tuition fees.

"Although there are no signs enrolment is falling off, it is the case that youngsters are a lot more willing to borrow to finance their education.

"This is not the case among mature students and we have a large number of mature students who, national data would suggest, are being put off higher education because of these fees."

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